8th Grade Language Arts
by Myanna Thompson
Welcome to Ms. Thompson's 8th Grade Language Arts
E-mail: mthompson@lisle202.org
Phone: 630.493.8228
I am available before school or after school (by appointment) in order to help answer questions or if you need additional help. All homework will be posted daily on Homework Hotline, and I will attach homework assignments on this site (when applicable).
Ms. Thompson's Syllabus and 8th Grade Guidelines
Students are required to have and maintain a binder. The binder should have 5 sections: DOL, Journals, Vocabulary, Grammar/Notes, and Essays. There will be sporadic binder checks and students are expected to have all the in-class hand-outs in the correct section of their binders. There is an in-class binder that the students can refer to if they are absent or if they are uncertain about what belongs were. Additionally, we will be journaling periodically, and you can access the journal log and prompts by clicking here.
Current Paper
We are currently working on constructing a Research Paper. Although students will be asked to research and go through the motions of collecting, organizing, and drafting, students will present their final project as a SPEECH, not as a paper. This may seem confusing, but will all become very clear as we delve into the project and get the ball rolling. This project will be done entirely in-class and students will have 6 weeks to complete it.
Here is the timeline and assignment details:
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Wednesday, March 14th-Friday, March 16th
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Wednesday: Hand out RESEARCH PAPER PACKET and INTERESTING TOPICS sheet. Thursday: Look at 1960's Time line and watched videos on John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. (Click on their names to watch the videos!) Friday: Continue to talk about other important events such as: Vietnam, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Berlin Wall, and The Space Race. For more information and videos on the 1960's, go to The History Channel's Website. |
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Monday, March 19th- Friday, March 23rd
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We will be in the LRC this entire week with Mr. Marx. He will introduce the basics of researching and creating a bibliography. Students will be required to create and hand-in a brochure on the 1960's that they create in-class. |
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Tuesday, April 3rd- Thursday, April 5th
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Parents should have received the Parent Letter, and the Parent Signature Form at the bottom of the page is due on THURSDAY. Additionally, students will go through the Research Schedule and will become familiarized with what is due at various points. This week is dedicated to students investigating topics that are appealing to them, and they should begin looking for good quality/reliable sources that they can add to their Working Bibliography. |
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Monday, April 9th- Friday, April 13th
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Monday: LRC workday. Students should have a basic idea of the topic that they are working on and should be looking for sources that support their topic. Tuesday: Review of source requirements. Each student is required to include the following types of sources in their Working Bibliographies:
Remember: You need to find sources that will support all 3 of your main points! More sources are STRONGLY encouraged!
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Tuesday, April 24th- Thursday, April 26th
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Tuesday, May 1st- Thursday, May 3rd
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Tuesday, May 8th- Thursday, May 10th
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Monday, May 14th- Wednesday, May 23rd
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Previous Paper
We finished the Autobiography.
Autobiography Timeline, Making your Autobiography a Book, Finishing Touches
Here was the timeline and assignment details.
| Week One |
Wednesday, January 4th: Introduction to project and brainstorming Chapters 1 & 2 Thursday, January 5th: In LRC working on Chapters 1 & 2 Friday, January 6th: In LRC finishing Chapters 1 & 2 |
| Week Two |
Tuesday, January 10th: Introduce and begin working on Chapters 3 & 4 Wednesday, January 11th: In LRC working on Chapters 3 & 4 Thursday, January 12th: In LRC finishing Chapters 3 & 4 |
| Week Three |
Tuesday, January 17th: Introduce and begin working on Chapters 5 & 6 Wednesday, January 18th: In LRC working on Chapters 5 & 6 Thursday, January 19th: In LRC finishing Chapters 5 & 6 |
| Week Four |
Tuesday, January 24th: Introduce and begin working on Chapters 7 & 8 Wednesday, January 25th: In LRC working on Chapters 7 & 8 Thursday, January 26th: In LRC finishing Chapters 7 & 8 |
| Week Five |
Tuesday, January 31th: Introduce and begin working on Chapters 9 & 10 Wednesday, February 1st: In LRC working on Chapters 9 & 10 Thursday, February 2nd: In LRC finishing Chapters 9 & 10 |
| Week Six |
Monday, February 6th andTuesday, February 7th: In LRC working on turning your Autobiography into a book and putting on the finishing touches. (Last minute picture scanning) Wednesday, February 8th: Peer Review Thursday, February 9th: Finishing Touches!! Friday, February 10th: Autobiography is DUE at the beginning of class. It must be printed out PRIOR to class. You will not be allowed to print in-class. |
Paper
We just finished working on a Persuasive Essay.
Here was the timeline for the assignment
| Monday- 12/5/2011 | Brainstorm topics that you are interested in investigating. When you have selected a topic, write down the Pros and Cons on the Pro Con Chart |
| Tuesday- 12/6/2011 | Begin collecting sources to support your three arguments. Useful sources should be added to the Creating a Works Cited Worksheet |
| Wednesday- 12/7/2011 | Continue researching in the library |
| Thursday- 12/8/2011 | Begin working on Persuasive Essay Outline |
| Friday- 12/9/2011 | Developing a Thesis worksheet |
| Monday- 12/12/2011 | Outline is due at the BEGINNING of class |
| Tuesday- 12/13/2011 | Rough Draft is due- ProCon Peer Editing Worksheet |
| Wednesday- 12/14/2011 | Finishing touches |
| Thursday- 12/15/2011 | FINAL DRAFT is due at the BEGINNING of class! It needs to be printed BEFORE you walk in the door. |
